Trees for Schools:
Tree-planting Grants for New Jersey
Public Schools, Colleges, and Universities
This grant opportunity is now closed. Learn about the 2025 grantees via our media release here.
About this Program
Launched in 2023, Trees for Schools provides grant funding to New Jersey public school districts, county colleges, and state colleges and universities for planting trees on school grounds and campuses.
- Grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000 and support costs including planning, site preparation, tree purchases, planting, and two years of maintenance.
- In Round 1, $4.5 million funded projects at 33 institutions, resulting in nearly 3,000 trees planted statewide.
- In 2025, a second $4.5 million in grants will be awarded to an additional group of schools.
Why Plant Trees?
Trees are critically needed to meet national and state climate goals and improve the quality of life in New Jersey. Trees combat climate change by storing carbon they pull out of the atmosphere and mitigating the effects of rising temperatures and rainfall. Trees provide shade, habitat, beauty and educational opportunities; they filter pollutants from air and water, reduce stormwater runoff, and lower carbon emissions and costs by saving energy in buildings.
Involving students in planning for, planting, and monitoring trees provides many opportunities for learning and integration into the curriculum. For example, primary and secondary school teachers could make educational linkages through The Benefit of Trees: An Interdisciplinary Project-Based Unit and other free resources available on the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Climate Education resource page. Colleges and universities could link project tracking and performance to their climate action plans. The Trees for Schools program will foster positive connections between students and the trees in their community with the goal of cultivating an understanding of their role in environmental stewardship, and sustainability.
Project Funding
The program is funded through New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state, market-based program that establishes a regional cap on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Proceeds from cap auctions are used to fund programs to benefit the environment.
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Senior Researcher, Melanie McDermott at mcdermom@tcnj.edu or 609-771-2836
Trees for Schools Partners
The Trees for Schools program is administered by the Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey in collaboration with Sustainable Jersey. It is made possible through the support of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
